Book of Common Prayer
מ MEM
97 Oh, how I love Your law!
(A)It is my meditation all the day.
98 You, through Your commandments, make me (B)wiser than my enemies;
For they are ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
(C)For Your testimonies are my meditation.
100 (D)I understand more than the [a]ancients,
Because I keep Your precepts.
101 I have restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word.
102 I have not departed from Your judgments,
For You Yourself have taught me.
103 (E)How sweet are Your words to my taste,
Sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 Through Your precepts I get understanding;
Therefore I hate every false way.
נ NUN
105 (F)Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
106 (G)I have sworn and confirmed
That I will keep Your righteous judgments.
107 I am afflicted very much;
Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.
108 Accept, I pray, (H)the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord,
And teach me Your judgments.
109 (I)My life is continually [b]in my hand,
Yet I do not forget Your law.
110 (J)The wicked have laid a snare for me,
Yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.
111 (K)Your testimonies I have taken as a [c]heritage forever,
For they are the rejoicing of my heart.
112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, to the very end.
ס SAMEK
113 I hate the [d]double-minded,
But I love Your law.
114 (L)You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in Your word.
115 (M)Depart from me, you evildoers,
For I will keep the commandments of my God!
116 Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live;
And do not let me (N)be ashamed of my hope.
117 [e]Hold me up, and I shall be safe,
And I shall observe Your statutes continually.
118 You reject all those who stray from Your statutes,
For their deceit is falsehood.
119 You [f]put away all the wicked of the earth (O)like [g]dross;
Therefore I love Your testimonies.
120 (P)My flesh trembles for fear of You,
And I am afraid of Your judgments.
An Appeal for Israel’s Repentance
To the Chief Musician. (A)On[a] an instrument of Gath. A Psalm of Asaph.
81 Sing aloud to God our strength;
Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song and strike the timbrel,
The pleasant harp with the lute.
3 Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon,
At the full moon, on our solemn feast day.
4 For (B)this is a statute for Israel,
A law of the God of Jacob.
5 This He established in Joseph as a testimony,
When He went throughout the land of Egypt,
(C)Where I heard a language I did not understand.
6 “I removed his shoulder from the burden;
His hands were freed from the baskets.
7 (D)You called in trouble, and I delivered you;
(E)I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I (F)tested you at the waters of [b]Meribah. Selah
8 “Hear,(G) O My people, and I will admonish you!
O Israel, if you will listen to Me!
9 There shall be no (H)foreign god among you;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god.
10 (I)I am the Lord your God,
Who brought you out of the land of Egypt;
(J)Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 “But My people would not heed My voice,
And Israel would have (K)none of Me.
12 (L)So I gave them over to [c]their own stubborn heart,
To walk in their own counsels.
13 “Oh,(M) that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies,
And turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 (N)The haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him,
But their [d]fate would endure forever.
16 He would (O)have fed them also with [e]the finest of wheat;
And with honey (P)from the rock I would have satisfied you.”
A Plea for Justice
A Psalm of Asaph.
82 God (Q)stands in the congregation of [f]the mighty;
He judges among (R)the [g]gods.
2 How long will you judge unjustly,
And (S)show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 [h]Defend the poor and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and (T)needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy;
Free them from the hand of the wicked.
5 They do not know, nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness;
All the (U)foundations of the earth are [i]unstable.
6 I said, (V)“You are [j]gods,
And all of you are children of the Most High.
7 But you shall die like men,
And fall like one of the princes.”
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth;
(W)For You shall inherit all nations.
A Call to Repentance
12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord,
(A)“Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
13 So (B)rend your heart, and not (C)your garments;
Return to the Lord your God,
For He is (D)gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.
14 (E)Who knows if He will turn and relent,
And leave (F)a blessing behind Him—
(G)A grain offering and a drink offering
For the Lord your God?
15 (H)Blow the [a]trumpet in Zion,
(I)Consecrate a fast,
Call a sacred assembly;
16 Gather the people,
(J)Sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and nursing babes;
(K)Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber,
And the bride from her dressing room.
17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord,
Weep (L)between the porch and the altar;
Let them say, (M)“Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
That the nations should [b]rule over them.
(N)Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
The Land Refreshed(O)
Christ on a White Horse
11 (A)Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, (B)a white horse. And He who sat on him was called (C)Faithful and True, and (D)in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 (E)His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. (F)He [a]had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 (G)He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called (H)The Word of God. 14 (I)And the armies in heaven, (J)clothed in [b]fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now (K)out of His mouth goes a [c]sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And (L)He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. (M)He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And (N)He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
(O)KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.
The Beast and His Armies Defeated
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, (P)“Come and gather together for the [d]supper of the great God, 18 (Q)that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, [e]free and slave, both small and great.”
19 (R)And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 (S)Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and (T)those who worshiped his image. (U)These two were cast alive into the lake of fire (V)burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest (W)were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. (X)And all the birds (Y)were filled with their flesh.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep(A)
15 Then (B)all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man [a]receives sinners (C)and eats with them.” 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
4 (D)“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, (E)‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep (F)which was lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents (G)than over ninety-nine [b]just persons who (H)need no repentance.
The Parable of the Lost Coin
8 “Or what woman, having ten silver [c]coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ 10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.