Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 102
Affliction in light of Eternity
A prayer of a suffering person who is weak and pours out his lament before the Lord.(A)
1 Lord, hear my prayer;
let my cry for help come before you.(B)
2 Do not hide your face from me in my day of trouble.
Listen closely to me;
answer me quickly when I call.(C)
3 For my days vanish like smoke,
and my bones burn like a furnace.(D)
4 My heart is suffering, withered like grass;(E)
I even forget to eat my food.(F)
5 Because of the sound of my groaning,
my flesh sticks to my bones.(G)
6 I am like an eagle owl,
like a little owl among the ruins.(H)
7 I stay awake;(I)
I am like a solitary bird on a roof.
8 My enemies taunt me all day long;
they ridicule and use my name as a curse.(J)
9 I eat ashes like bread
and mingle my drinks with tears(K)
10 because of your indignation and wrath;
for you have picked me up and thrown me aside.(L)
11 My days are like a lengthening shadow,
and I wither away like grass.(M)
12 But you, Lord, are enthroned forever;(N)
your fame endures to all generations.(O)
13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to show favor to her—
the appointed time has come.(P)
14 For your servants take delight in its stones
and favor its dust.(Q)
15 Then the nations will fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,(R)
16 for the Lord will rebuild Zion;
he will appear in his glory.(S)
17 He will pay attention to the prayer of the destitute
and will not despise their prayer.(T)
18 This will be written for a later generation,
and a people who have not yet been created will praise the Lord:(U)
19 He looked down from his holy heights—
the Lord gazed out from heaven to earth(V)—
20 to hear a prisoner’s groaning,
to set free those condemned to die,[a](W)
21 so that they might declare
the name of the Lord in Zion
and his praise in Jerusalem(X)
22 when peoples and kingdoms are assembled
to serve the Lord.(Y)
23 He has broken my[b] strength in midcourse;
he has shortened my days.(Z)
24 I say, “My God, do not take me
in the middle of my life![c]
Your years continue through all generations.(AA)
25 Long ago you established the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.(AB)
26 They will perish, but you will endure;
all of them will wear out like clothing.
You will change them like a garment,
and they will pass away.(AC)
27 But you are the same,
and your years will never end.(AD)
28 Your servants’ children will dwell securely,
and their offspring will be established before you.”(AE)
BOOK V
(Psalms 107–150)
Psalm 107
Thanksgiving for God’s Deliverance
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.(A)
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim
that he has redeemed them from the power of the foe(B)
3 and has gathered them from the lands—
from the east and the west,
from the north and the south.(C)
4 Some wandered in the desolate wilderness,
finding no way to a city where they could live.(D)
5 They were hungry and thirsty;
their spirits failed[a] within them.(E)
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
he rescued them from their distress.(F)
7 He led them by the right path
to go to a city where they could live.(G)
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord
for his faithful love
and his wondrous works for all humanity.(H)
9 For he has satisfied the thirsty
and filled the hungry with good things.(I)
10 Others sat in darkness and gloom[b]—
prisoners in cruel chains(J)—
11 because they rebelled against God’s commands
and despised the counsel of the Most High.(K)
12 He broke their spirits[c] with hard labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.(L)
13 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
he saved them from their distress.(M)
14 He brought them out of darkness and gloom
and broke their chains apart.(N)
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord
for his faithful love
and his wondrous works for all humanity.(O)
16 For he has broken down the bronze gates
and cut through the iron bars.(P)
17 Fools suffered affliction
because of their rebellious ways and their iniquities.(Q)
18 They loathed all food
and came near the gates of death.(R)
19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
he saved them from their distress.(S)
20 He sent his word and healed them;
he rescued them from their traps.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord
for his faithful love
and his wondrous works for all humanity.(T)
22 Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices
and announce his works with shouts of joy.(U)
23 Others went to sea in ships,
conducting trade on the vast water.(V)
24 They saw the Lord’s works,
his wondrous works in the deep.(W)
25 He spoke and raised a stormy wind
that stirred up the waves of the sea.[d](X)
26 Rising up to the sky, sinking down to the depths,
their courage[e] melting away in anguish,(Y)
27 they reeled and staggered like a drunkard,
and all their skill was useless.(Z)
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.(AA)
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.(AB)
30 They rejoiced when the waves grew quiet.
Then he guided them to the harbor they longed for.(AC)
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord
for his faithful love
and his wondrous works for all humanity.(AD)
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.(AE)
3 “See, I am going to send my messenger,(A) and he will clear the way before me.(B) Then the Lord you seek(C) will suddenly come to his temple,(D) the Messenger of the covenant you delight in—see, he is coming,” says the Lord of Armies. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will be able to stand when he appears?(E) For he will be like a refiner’s fire(F) and like launderer’s bleach.[a](G) 3 He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.(H) Then they will present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. 4 And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord as in days of old(I) and years gone by.
5 “I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the hired worker, the widow, and the fatherless; and against those who deny justice to the resident alien.(J) They do not fear me,”(K) says the Lord of Armies. 6 “Because I, the Lord, have not changed,(L) you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.[b](M)
Robbing God
7 “Since the days of your ancestors, you have turned from my statutes; you have not kept them.(N) Return to me,(O) and I will return to you,”(P) says the Lord of Armies.
Yet you ask, “How can we return?”
8 “Will a man rob(Q) God? Yet you are robbing me!”
“How do we rob you?” you ask.
“By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions.(R) 9 You are suffering under a curse, yet[c] you—the whole nation—are still robbing me. 10 Bring the full tenth into the storehouse(S) so that there may be food in my house.(T) Test me in this way,”(U) says the Lord of Armies. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven(V) and pour out a blessing for you without measure.(W) 11 I will rebuke the devourer[d](X) for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the Lord of Armies. 12 “Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of Armies.
Waiting for the Lord
7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.(A) 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.(B)
9 Brothers and sisters, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!(C)
10 Brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience. 11 See, we count as blessed those who have endured.[a] You have heard of Job’s endurance(D) and have seen the outcome that the Lord brought about—the Lord is compassionate and merciful.(E)
Truthful Speech
12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath.(F) But let your “yes” mean “yes,” and your “no” mean “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment.[b]
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
18 Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray(A) always and not give up.(B) 2 “There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God(C) or respect people. 3 And a widow(D) in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect people, 5 yet because this widow keeps(E) pestering me,[a] I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t wear me out[b] by her persistent coming.’”
6 Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 Will not God grant justice(F) to his elect(G) who cry out to him day and night?(H) Will he delay(I) helping them?[c] 8 I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes,(J) will he find faith on earth?”
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