Book of Common Prayer
Do Not Hide Your Face from Me
A Prayer of the afflicted when he is faint and [a]pours out his complaint before Yahweh.
102 (A)O Yahweh, hear my prayer!
And let my cry for help (B)come to You.
2 (C)Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress;
(D)Incline Your ear to me;
In the day when I call (E)answer me quickly.
3 For my days (F)have [b]vanished in smoke,
And my (G)bones have been scorched like a hearth.
4 My heart (H)has been stricken like [c]grass and it has (I)dried up,
Indeed, I (J)forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the sound of my groaning
My (K)bones [d]cling to my flesh.
6 I resemble a (L)pelican of the wilderness;
I have become like an owl of the waste places.
7 I (M)lie awake,
I have become like a lonely bird on a roof.
8 My enemies (N)have reproached me all day long;
Those who [e](O)ridicule me (P)swear against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread
And (Q)mixed my drinks with weeping
10 (R)Because of Your indignation and Your wrath,
For You have (S)lifted me up and cast me away.
11 My days are like an (T)outstretched shadow,
And as for me, I (U)dry up like [f]grass.
12 But You, O Yahweh, [g](V)abide forever,
And the (W)remembrance of Your name [h]from generation to generation.
13 You will (X)arise and have (Y)compassion on Zion—
For (Z)it is time to be gracious to it,
For the (AA)appointed time has come.
14 For Your slaves [i]find pleasure in its stones
And show grace to its dust—
15 [j]So the [k](AB)nations will fear the name of Yahweh
And (AC)all the kings of the earth Your glory.
16 For Yahweh has (AD)built up Zion;
He has (AE)appeared in His glory.
17 He has (AF)turned toward the prayer of the [l]destitute
And has not despised their prayer.
18 [m]This will be (AG)written for the (AH)generation to come,
And (AI)a people yet to be created will praise Yah.
19 For He (AJ)looked down from His holy height;
(AK)From heaven Yahweh gazed [n]upon the earth,
20 To hear the (AL)groaning of the prisoner,
To (AM)set free [o]those who were doomed to death,
21 To (AN)recount the name of Yahweh in Zion
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 When (AO)the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve Yahweh.
23 He has afflicted my strength in the way;
He has (AP)shortened my days.
24 I say, “O my God, (AQ)do not take me away in the [p]midst of my days,
Your (AR)years are from generation to all generations.
25 Of old You (AS)founded the earth,
And the (AT)heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 [q]Even they will (AU)perish, but You will remain;
And all of them will wear out like a garment;
Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
27 But You are [r](AV)the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.
28 The (AW)children of Your slaves will dwell securely,
And their (AX)seed will be established before You.”
BOOK 5
Yahweh Saves in Times of Trouble
107 Oh (A)give thanks to Yahweh, for (B)He is good,
For His lovingkindness endures forever.
2 Let (C)the redeemed of Yahweh say so,
Whom He has (D)redeemed from the hand of the adversary
3 And (E)gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the [a]south.
4 They (F)wandered in the wilderness along the way of the wasteland;
They did not find an inhabited (G)city.
5 Hungry [b]and thirsty,
Their (H)soul fainted within them.
6 Then they (I)cried out to Yahweh in their trouble;
He delivered them out of their distresses.
7 He led them by a [c](J)straight way,
To go to (K)an inhabited city.
8 (L)Let them give thanks to Yahweh for His lovingkindness,
And for His wondrous deeds to the sons of men!
9 For He has (M)satisfied the [d]thirsty soul,
And the (N)hungry soul He has filled with what is good.
10 There were those who (O)inhabited darkness and the shadow of death,
(P)Prisoners in affliction and irons,
11 Because they had (Q)rebelled against the words of God
And (R)spurned the (S)counsel of the Most High.
12 So He subdued their heart with labor;
They stumbled and there was (T)none to help.
13 Then they (U)cried out to Yahweh in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
14 He (V)brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death
And (W)broke their bands apart.
15 (X)Let them give thanks to Yahweh for His lovingkindness,
And for His wondrous deeds to the sons of men!
16 For He has (Y)shattered the doors of bronze
And cut through the bars of iron.
17 [e]Ignorant fools, because of their way of transgression,
And (Z)because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18 Their (AA)soul abhorred all kinds of food,
And they (AB)reached the (AC)gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to Yahweh in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
20 He (AD)sent His word and (AE)healed them,
And (AF)provided them escape from their [f]destructions.
21 (AG)Let them give thanks to Yahweh for His lovingkindness,
And for His wondrous deeds to the sons of men!
22 Let them also offer (AH)sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And (AI)recount His works with joyful singing.
23 Those who (AJ)go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on many waters;
24 They have seen the works of Yahweh,
And His wondrous deeds in the deep.
25 He (AK)spoke and set up a (AL)stormy wind,
Which (AM)raised up the waves [g]of the sea.
26 They went up to the heavens, they went down to the depths;
Their soul (AN)melted away in the [h]calamity.
27 They staggered and (AO)swayed like a drunken man,
And all their wisdom was swallowed up.
28 Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
29 He (AP)caused the storm to stand still,
So that its waves were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He led them to their desired haven.
31 (AQ)Let them give thanks to Yahweh for His lovingkindness,
And for His (AR)wondrous deeds to the sons of men!
32 Let them (AS)exalt Him also (AT)in the assembly of the people,
And (AU)praise Him at the seat of the elders.
You Have Sinned, O Israel
10 Israel is a [a]luxuriant (A)vine;
He produces fruit for himself.
The more abundant his fruit,
The more altars he (B)abounded;
The better his land,
The better [b]he made the sacred (C)pillars.
2 Their heart is [c](D)faithless;
Now they must bear their (E)guilt.
[d]Yahweh will (F)break down their altars
And destroy their sacred pillars.
3 Surely now they will say, “We have (G)no king,
For we do not fear Yahweh.
As for the king, what can he do for us?”
4 They speak mere words;
[e]With (H)worthless oaths they cut covenants;
And (I)judgment flourishes like gall in the furrows of the field.
5 The dweller of Samaria will fear
For the [f](J)calf of (K)Beth-aven.
Indeed, its people will mourn for it,
And its (L)idolatrous priests [g]will cry out over it,
Over its (M)glory, since it has gone into exile from them.
6 The thing itself will be carried to (N)Assyria
As tribute to [h](O)King Jareb;
Ephraim will (P)receive shame,
And Israel will be ashamed of its (Q)own counsel.
7 Samaria will be (R)ruined with her king
Like a stick on the surface of the water.
8 Also the (S)high places of Aven, the (T)sin of Israel, will be [i]eradicated;
(U)Thorn and thistle will grow on their altars;
Then they will (V)say to the mountains,
“Cover us!” And to the hills, “Fall on us!”
9 From the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel;
There they stand!
Will not the battle against the sons of injustice overtake them in Gibeah?
10 When it is My (W)desire, I will [j](X)chastise them;
And (Y)the peoples will be gathered against them
When they are bound for their double guilt.
The Trained Heifer
11 And Ephraim is a trained (Z)heifer that loves to thresh,
But I will (AA)come over her fair neck with a yoke;
I will harness Ephraim;
Judah will plow; Jacob will harrow for himself.
12 (AB)Sow with a view to righteousness,
Reap in accordance with lovingkindness;
(AC)Break up your fallow ground,
Indeed, it is time to (AD)seek Yahweh
Until He (AE)comes and [k](AF)rains righteousness on you.
13 You have (AG)plowed wickedness; you have reaped injustice;
You have eaten the fruit of (AH)deception.
Because you have trusted in your way, in your (AI)abundant warriors,
14 Therefore a rumbling will arise among your people,
And all your (AJ)fortifications will be destroyed,
As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle,
When (AK)mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.
15 Thus it will be done to you at Bethel because of your evil of evils.
At dawn the king of Israel will be completely ruined.
Paul’s Defense Before the Jews
37 As Paul was about to be brought into (A)the barracks, he said to the commander, “May I say something to you?” And he *said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Then you are not (B)the Egyptian who some [a]time ago raised a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out (C)into the wilderness?” 39 But Paul said, “(D)I am a Jew of Tarsus in (E)Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” 40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on (F)the stairs, (G)motioned to the people with his hand; and when there [b]was a great hush, he spoke to them in the (H)Hebrew language, saying,
22 “(I)Men, brothers, and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.”
2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the (J)Hebrew language, they became even quieter; and he *said,
3 “(K)I am (L)a Jew, born in (M)Tarsus of (N)Cilicia, but having been brought up in this city, having been instructed at the feet of (O)Gamaliel according to the (P)strictness of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as (Q)you all are today, 4 (R)I persecuted this (S)Way to the death, binding and delivering both men and women into prisons, 5 as also (T)the high priest and all (U)the Council of the elders [c]can testify. From them I also (V)received letters to (W)the brothers, and started off for (X)Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem [d]as prisoners to be punished.
6 “(Y)But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, 7 and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ 8 And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am (Z)Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 And those who were with me (AA)beheld the light, to be sure, but (AB)did not [e]understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. 10 And I said, ‘(AC)What should I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been determined for you to do.’ 11 But since I (AD)could not see because of the glory of that light, being led by the hand by those who were with me, I came into Damascus.
12 “Now a certain (AE)Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and (AF)well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing near, said to me, ‘(AG)Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ And [f](AH)at that very hour I regained my sight and saw him. 14 And he said, ‘(AI)The God of our fathers has (AJ)appointed you to know His will and to (AK)see the (AL)Righteous One and to hear a [g]voice from His mouth. 15 For you will be (AM)a witness for Him to all men of (AN)what you have seen and heard. 16 Now why do you delay? (AO)Rise up and be baptized, and (AP)wash away your sins, (AQ)calling on His name.’
Jesus Appoints the Twelve
12 Now it happened that [a]at this time He went off to (A)the mountain to (B)pray, and He was spending the whole night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, (C)He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as (D)apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; 15 and (E)Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
17 And Jesus (F)came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was (G)a large crowd of His disciples, and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of (H)Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. 19 And all the crowd was trying to (I)touch Him, for (J)power was coming from Him and healing them all.
The Beatitudes
20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say,
“(K)Blessed are the poor, for (L)yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are those who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.
Blessed are those who cry now, for you shall laugh.
22 (M)Blessed are you when men hate you, and (N)exclude you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.
23 Be glad in that day and (O)leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For (P)their fathers were doing the same things to the prophets.
Jesus Pronounces Woes
24 But woe to (Q)you who are rich, for (R)you are receiving your comfort in full.
25 Woe to you who [b]are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and cry.
26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers were doing the same things to the (S)false prophets.
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