Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 72
A Prayer for the King
Solomonic.(A)
1 God, give Your justice to the king
and Your righteousness to the king’s son.(B)
2 He will judge Your people with righteousness
and Your afflicted ones with justice.(C)
3 May the mountains bring prosperity[a] to the people
and the hills, righteousness.(D)
4 May he vindicate the afflicted among the people,
help the poor,
and crush the oppressor.(E)
5 May he continue[b] while the sun endures
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.(F)
6 May he be like rain that falls on the cut grass,
like spring showers that water the earth.(G)
7 May the righteous[c] flourish in his days
and prosperity[d] abound
until the moon is no more.(H)
8 May he rule from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates
to the ends of the earth.(I)
9 May desert tribes kneel before him
and his enemies lick the dust.(J)
10 May the kings of Tarshish
and the coasts and islands bring tribute,
the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.(K)
11 Let all kings bow down to him,
all nations serve him.(L)
12 For he will rescue the poor who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper.(M)
13 He will have pity on the poor and helpless
and save the lives of the poor.(N)
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are[e] precious[f] in his sight.(O)
15 May he live long!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be offered for him continually,
and may he be blessed all day long.(P)
16 May there be plenty of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains.
May its crops be like Lebanon.
May people flourish in the cities
like the grass of the field.(Q)
17 May his name endure forever;
as long as the sun shines,
may his fame increase.
May all nations be blessed by him
and call him blessed.(R)
י Yod
73 Your hands made me and formed me;(A)
give me understanding
so that I can learn Your commands.(B)
74 Those who fear You will see me and rejoice,(C)
for I put my hope in Your word.(D)
75 I know, Lord, that Your judgments are just
and that You have afflicted me fairly.(E)
76 May Your faithful love comfort me
as You promised Your servant.
77 May Your compassion come to me(F)
so that I may live,
for Your instruction is my delight.(G)
78 Let the arrogant be put to shame(H)
for slandering me with lies;
I will meditate on Your precepts.
79 Let those who fear You,
those who know Your decrees, turn to me.
80 May my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes(I)
so that I will not be put to shame.
כ Kaf
81 I long for Your salvation;(J)
I put my hope in Your word.(K)
82 My eyes grow weary
looking for what You have promised;(L)
I ask, “When will You comfort me?”
83 Though I have become like a wineskin dried by smoke,
I do not forget Your statutes.
84 How many days must Your servant wait?
When will You execute judgment on my persecutors?(M)
85 The arrogant have dug pits for me;(N)
they violate Your instruction.
86 All Your commands are true;
people persecute me with lies—help me!(O)
87 They almost ended my life on earth,
but I did not abandon Your precepts.
88 Give me life in accordance with Your faithful love,
and I will obey the decree You have spoken.
ל Lamed
89 Lord, Your word is forever;(P)
it is firmly fixed in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness is for all generations;(Q)
You established the earth, and it stands firm.(R)
91 They stand today in accordance with Your judgments,(S)
for all things are Your servants.(T)
92 If Your instruction had not been my delight,
I would have died in my affliction.(U)
93 I will never forget Your precepts,
for You have given me life through them.(V)
94 I am Yours; save me,(W)
for I have sought Your precepts.(X)
95 The wicked hope to destroy me,(Y)
but I contemplate Your decrees.
96 I have seen a limit to all perfection,
but Your command is without limit.
Job Replies to the Lord
42 Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 I[a] know that You can do anything
and no plan of Yours can be thwarted.(A)
3 You asked, “Who is this who conceals My counsel with ignorance?”(B)
Surely I spoke about things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to[b] know.(C)
4 You said, “Listen now, and I will speak.
When I question(D) you, you will inform Me.”
5 I had heard rumors about You,
but now my eyes(E) have seen You.
6 Therefore I take back my words
and repent in dust and ashes.[c]
7 After the Lord had finished speaking[d] to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken the truth about Me, as My servant Job has. 8 Now take seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. Then My servant Job will pray for you.(F) I will surely accept his prayer and not deal with you as your folly deserves. For you have not spoken the truth about Me, as My servant Job has.” 9 Then Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.
God Restores Job
10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his prosperity and doubled his previous possessions.(G) 11 All his brothers, sisters, and former acquaintances(H) came to his house and dined with him in his house. They sympathized with him and comforted him concerning all the adversity the Lord had brought on him. Each one gave him a qesitah[e](I) and a gold earring.(J)
12 So the Lord blessed the last part of Job’s life more than the first. He owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named his first daughter Jemimah, his second Keziah, and his third Keren-happuch.(K) 15 No women as beautiful as Job’s daughters could be found in all the land, and their father granted them an inheritance with their brothers.
16 Job lived 140 years after this and saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 Then Job died, old and full of days.(L)
Paul and Silas in Prison
16 Once, as we were on our way to prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit of prediction.[a](A) She made a large profit for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you[b] the way of salvation, are the slaves of the Most High God.” 18 And she did this for many days.
But Paul was greatly aggravated and turning to the spirit, said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out right away.[c](B)
19 When her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas(C) and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. 20 Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews 21 and are promoting customs that are not legal for us as Romans to adopt or practice.”(D)
22 Then the mob joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods.(E) 23 After they had inflicted many blows on them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to keep them securely guarded. 24 Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.(F)
Jesus Predicts His Crucifixion
20 Now some Greeks were among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 So they came to Philip,(A) who was from Bethsaida(B) in Galilee,(C) and requested of him, “Sir,(D) we want to see Jesus.”
22 Philip went and told Andrew;(E) then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus replied to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man(F) to be glorified.
24 “I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat(G) falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop.[a](H) 25 The one who loves his life will lose it,(I) and the one who hates(J) his life(K) in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me. Where I am, there My servant(L) also will be.(M) If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor(N) him.
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