Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 20
Deliverance in Battle
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 May the Lord answer you in a day of trouble;(A)
may the name of Jacob’s God protect you.(B)
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and sustain you from Zion.(C)
3 May he remember all your offerings
and accept your burnt offering.(D)Selah
4 May he give you what your heart desires(E)
and fulfill your whole purpose.(F)
5 Let us shout for joy at your victory(G)
and lift the banner in the name of our God.(H)
May the Lord fulfill all your requests.(I)
6 Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed;(J)
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories from his right hand.(K)
7 Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses,
but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God.(L)
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand firm.(M)
9 Lord, give victory to the king!(N)
May he[a] answer us on the day that we call.
Psalm 21
The King’s Victory
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 Lord, the king finds joy in your strength.
How greatly he rejoices in your victory!(O)
2 You have given him his heart’s desire(P)
and have not denied the request of his lips.(Q)Selah
3 For you meet him with rich blessings;
you place a crown of pure gold on his head.(R)
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days forever and ever.(S)
5 His glory is great through your victory;
you confer majesty and splendor on him.(T)
6 You give him blessings forever;(U)
you cheer him with joy in your presence.(V)
7 For the king relies on the Lord;
through the faithful love of the Most High
he is not shaken.(W)
8 Your hand will capture all your enemies;
your right hand will seize those who hate you.(X)
9 You will make them burn
like a fiery furnace when you appear;
the Lord will engulf them in his wrath,
and fire will devour them.(Y)
10 You will wipe their progeny from the earth
and their offspring from the human race.[b](Z)
11 Though they intend to harm[c] you
and devise a wicked plan, they will not prevail.(AA)
12 Instead, you will put them to flight
when you ready your bowstrings to shoot at them.(AB)
13 Be exalted, Lord, in your strength;
we will sing and praise your might.(AC)
Psalm 110
The Priestly King
A psalm of David.
1 This is the declaration of the Lord
to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool.”(A)
2 The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion.
Rule[a] over your surrounding[b] enemies.(B)
3 Your people will volunteer
on your day of battle.[c](C)
In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn,
the dew of your youth belongs to you.[d](D)
4 The Lord has sworn an oath and will not take it back:
“You are a priest forever
according to the pattern of Melchizedek.”(E)
Psalm 116
Thanks to God for Deliverance
1 I love the Lord because he has heard
my appeal for mercy.(A)
2 Because he has turned his ear to me,
I will call out to him as long as I live.(B)
3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me,
and the torments of Sheol overcame me;
I encountered trouble and sorrow.(C)
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!” (D)
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is compassionate.(E)
6 The Lord guards the inexperienced;
I was helpless, and he saved me.(F)
7 Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.(G)
8 For you, Lord, rescued me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.(H)
9 I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.(I)
10 I believed, even when I said,
“I am severely oppressed.”(J)
11 In my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”(K)
12 How can I repay the Lord
for all the good he has done for me?(L)
13 I will take the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.(M)
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.(N)
15 The death of his faithful ones
is valuable in the Lord’s sight.(O)
16 Lord, I am indeed your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your female servant.
You have loosened my bonds.(P)
17 I will offer you a thanksgiving sacrifice
and call on the name of the Lord.(Q)
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,(R)
19 in the courts of the Lord’s house—
within you, Jerusalem.(S)
Hallelujah!
Psalm 117
Universal Call to Praise
Paul’s First Interview with Roman Jews
17 After three days he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered he said to them, “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.(A) 18 After they examined me, they wanted to release me, since there was no reason for the death penalty in my case.(B) 19 Because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar;(C) even though I had no charge to bring against my people. 20 For this reason I’ve asked to see you and speak to you. In fact, it is for the hope of Israel that I’m wearing this chain.”(D)
21 Then they said to him, “We haven’t received any letters about you from Judea. None of the brothers has come and reported or spoken anything evil about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, since we know that people everywhere are speaking against this sect.”(E)
The Response to Paul’s Message
23 After arranging a day with him, many came to him at his lodging. From dawn to dusk he expounded and testified about the kingdom of God. He tried to persuade them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets.(F) 24 Some were persuaded by what he said, but others did not believe.(G)
25 Disagreeing among themselves, they began to leave after Paul made one statement:[a] “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your[b] ancestors through the prophet Isaiah 26 when he said,
Go to these people and say:
You will always be listening,
but never understanding;
and you will always be looking,
but never perceiving.
27 For the hearts of these people
have grown callous,
their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
otherwise they might see with their eyes
and hear with their ears,
understand with their heart
and turn,
and I would heal them.[c](H)
28 Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”[d]
Paul’s Ministry Unhindered
30 Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God(I) and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness(J) and without hindrance.
The Power of Jesus over a Demon
37 The next day,(A) when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he’s my only child.(B) 39 A spirit seizes him; suddenly he shrieks, and it throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth; severely bruising him, it scarcely ever leaves him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”(C)
41 Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and perverse[a] generation,(D) how long will I be with you and put up with you?(E) Bring your son here.”
42 As the boy was still approaching, the demon knocked him down and threw him into severe convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy,(F) and gave him back to his father.(G) 43 And they were all astonished at the greatness of God.(H)
The Second Prediction of His Death
While everyone was amazed at all the things he was doing,(I) he told his disciples, 44 “Let these words sink in:[b] The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.”(J)
45 But they did not understand this statement;(K) it was concealed from them so that they could not grasp it,(L) and they were afraid to ask him about it.
Who Is the Greatest?
46 An argument started among them about who was the greatest of them.(M) 47 But Jesus, knowing their inner thoughts,[c](N) took a little child and had him stand next to him. 48 He told them, “Whoever welcomes[d] this little child in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me welcomes him who sent me.(O) For whoever is least among you—this one is great.”(P)
In His Name
49 John responded,(Q) “Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,(R) and we tried to stop him because he does not follow us.”(S)
50 “Don’t stop him,” Jesus told him, “because whoever is not against you is for you.”[e](T)
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