Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 30
A psalm by David sung at the dedication of the temple.
1 I will honor you highly, O Yahweh,
because you have pulled me out of the pit
and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
2 O Yahweh my Elohim,
I cried out to you for help,
and you healed me.
3 O Yahweh, you brought me up from the grave.
You called me back to life
from among those who had gone into the pit.
4 Make music to praise Yahweh, you faithful people who belong to him.
Remember his holiness by giving thanks.
5 His anger lasts only a moment.
His favor lasts a lifetime.
Weeping may last for the night,
but there is a song of joy in the morning.
6 When all was well with me, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”
7 O Yahweh, by your favor you have made my mountain stand firm.
When you hid your face, I was terrified.
8 I will cry out to you, O Yahweh.
I will plead to Adonay for mercy:
9 “How will you profit if my blood is shed,
if I go into the pit?
Will the dust of my body give thanks to you?
Will it tell about your truth?”
10 Hear, O Yahweh, and have pity on me!
O Yahweh, be my helper!
11 You have changed my sobbing into dancing.
You have removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy
12 so that my soul[a] may praise you with music and not be silent.
O Yahweh my Elohim, I will give thanks to you forever.
Psalm 32
A psalm by David; a maskil.[a]
1 Blessed is the person whose disobedience is forgiven
and whose sin is pardoned.
2 Blessed is the person whom Yahweh no longer accuses of sin
and who has no deceitful thoughts.
3 When I kept silent about my sins,
my bones began to weaken because of my groaning all day long.
4 Day and night your hand laid heavily on me.
My strength shriveled in the summer heat. Selah
5 I made my sins known to you, and I did not cover up my guilt.
I decided to confess them to you, O Yahweh.
Then you forgave all my sins. Selah
6 For this reason let all godly people pray to you
when you may be found.
Then raging floodwater will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place.
You protect me from trouble.
You surround me with joyous songs of salvation. Selah
8 The Lord says,
“I will instruct you.
I will teach you the way that you should go.
I will advise you as my eyes watch over you.
9 Don’t be stubborn like a horse or mule.
They need a bit and bridle in their mouth to restrain them,
or they will not come near you.”
10 Many heartaches await wicked people,
but mercy surrounds those who trust Yahweh.
11 Be glad and find joy in Yahweh, you righteous people.
Sing with joy, all whose motives are decent.
BOOK TWO
(Psalms 42–72)
Psalm 42
For the choir director; a maskil[a] by Korah’s descendants.
1 As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O Elohim.
2 My soul thirsts for Elohim, for El Chay.
When may I come to see Elohim’s face?
3 My tears are my food day and night.
People ask me all day long, “Where is your Elohim?”
4 I will remember these things as I pour out my soul:
how I used to walk with the crowd
and lead it in a procession to Elohim’s house.
I sang songs of joy and thanksgiving
while crowds of people celebrated a festival.
5 Why are you discouraged, my soul?
Why are you so restless?
Put your hope in Elohim,
because I will still praise him.
He is my savior and my Elohim.
6 My soul is discouraged.
That is why I will remember you
in the land of Jordan, on the peaks of Hermon, on Mount Mizar.
7 One deep sea calls to another at the roar of your waterspouts.
All the whitecaps on your waves have swept over me.[b]
8 Yahweh commands his mercy during the day,
and at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the El of my life.
9 I will ask Elohim, my rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I walk around in mourning
while the enemy oppresses me?”
10 With a shattering blow to my bones,
my enemies taunt me.
They ask me all day long, “Where is your Elohim?”
11 Why are you discouraged, my soul?
Why are you so restless?
Put your hope in Elohim,
because I will still praise him.
He is my savior and my Elohim.
Psalm 43
1 Judge me, O Elohim,
and plead my case against an ungodly nation.
Rescue me from deceitful and unjust people.
2 You are my fortress, O Elohim!
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I walk around in mourning
while the enemy oppresses me?
3 Send your light and your truth.
Let them guide me.
Let them bring me to your holy mountain
and to your dwelling place.
4 Then let me go to the altar of Elohim, to God my highest joy,
and I will give thanks to you on the lyre, O Elohim, my Elohim.
5 Why are you discouraged, my soul?
Why are you so restless?
Put your hope in Elohim,
because I will still praise him.
He is my savior and my Elohim.
Eliphaz Speaks: Admit You Are Wicked, Job
22 Then Eliphaz from Teman replied to Job,
2 “Can a human be of any use to El
when even a wise person is only useful to himself?
3 Is Shadday pleased when you are righteous?
Does he gain anything when you follow the path of integrity?
4 Does God correct you
and bring you into a court of law because you fear him?
Make Peace with God
21 “Be in harmony and at peace with God.
In this way you will have prosperity.
22 Accept instruction from his mouth,
and keep his words in your heart.
23 If you return to Shadday you will prosper.
If you put wrongdoing out of your tent,
24 and lay your gold down in the dust,
and put your gold from Ophir among the pebbles in the rivers,
25 then Shadday will become your gold
and your large supply of silver.
26 Then you will be happy with Shadday
and look up toward Eloah.
27 You will pray to him, and he will listen to you,
and you will keep your vow to him.
28 When you promise to do something, you will succeed,
and light will shine on your path.
29 When others are discouraged, you will say, ‘Cheer up!’
Then he will save the humble person.[a]
30 He will rescue one who is not innocent.
That person will be rescued by your purity.”
Job Speaks: Where Can I Find God?
23 Then Job replied to his friends,
2 “My complaint is bitter again today.
I try hard to control my sighing.
3 “If only I knew where I could find God!
I would go where he lives.
4 I would present my case to him.
I would have a mouthful of arguments.
5 I want to know the words he would use to answer me.
I want to understand the things he would say to me.
6 Would he sue me and hide behind great legal maneuvers?
No, he certainly would press charges against me.
7 Then decent people could argue with him,
and I would escape my judgment forever.
26 “Brothers—descendants of Abraham and converts to Judaism—the message that God saves people was sent to us. 27 The people who live in Jerusalem and their rulers didn’t know who Yeshua was. They didn’t understand the prophets’ messages, which are read every day of worship. So they condemned Yeshua and fulfilled what the prophets had said. 28 Although they couldn’t find any good reason to kill him, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 When they had finished doing everything that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. 30 But God brought him back to life, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come with him to Jerusalem from Galilee. These people are now witnesses and are testifying to the Jewish people about him. 32 We are telling you the Good News: What God promised our ancestors has happened. 33 God has fulfilled the promise for us, their descendants, by bringing Yeshua back to life. This is what Scripture says in the second psalm:
‘You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.’
34 “God stated that he brought Yeshua back to life and that Yeshua’s body never decayed. He said, ‘I will give you the enduring love promised to David.’ 35 Another psalm says, ‘You will not allow your holy one to decay.’ 36 After doing God’s will by serving the people of his time, David died. He was laid to rest with his ancestors, but his body decayed. 37 However, the man God brought back to life had a body that didn’t decay.
38 “So, brothers, I’m telling you that through Yeshua your sins can be forgiven. Sins kept you from receiving God’s approval through Moses’ Teachings. 39 However, everyone who believes in Yeshua receives God’s approval.
40 “Be careful, or what the prophets said may happen to you.
41 ‘Look, you mockers!
Be amazed and die!
I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe even if it were reported to you!’”
42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak on the same subject the next day of worship. 43 When the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas. Paul and Barnabas talked with them and were persuading them to continue trusting God’s good will.[a]
Jesus, the Good Shepherd
10 “I can guarantee this truth: The person who doesn’t enter the sheep pen through the gate but climbs in somewhere else is a thief or a robber. 2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls his sheep by name and leads them out of the pen. 4 After he has brought out all his sheep, he walks ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger. Instead, they will run away from a stranger because they don’t recognize his voice.” 6 Yeshua used this illustration as he talked to the people, but they didn’t understand what he meant.
7 Yeshua emphasized, “I can guarantee this truth: I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before I did were thieves or robbers. However, the sheep didn’t respond to them. 9 I am the gate. Those who enter the sheep pen through me will be saved. They will go in and out of the sheep pen and find food. 10 A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came so that my sheep will have life and so that they will have everything they need.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand isn’t a shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep. When he sees a wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and quickly runs away. So the wolf drags the sheep away and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand is concerned about what he’s going to get paid and not about the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep as the Father knows me.[a] My sheep know me as I know the Father. 15 So I give my life for my sheep. 16 I also have other sheep that are not from this pen. I must lead them. They, too, will respond to my voice. So they will be one flock with one shepherd. 17 The Father loves me because I give my life in order to take it back again. 18 No one takes my life from me. I give my life of my own free will. I have the authority to give my life, and I have the authority to take my life back again. This is what my Father ordered me to do.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.